NIA summons Punjab SP for questioning, picks up footprints

Pathankot: The NIA on Friday issued summons to Punjab SP Salwinder Singh, who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists involved in Pathankot terror attack, to appear before it on Monday for detailed interrogation.

Punjab SP Salwinder Singh was kidnapped by terrorists just before the attack on Pathankot air base.

The probe agency has picked up some footprints in the fields of a border village and the IAF base here and sent them to central forensic lab for matching.

NIA teams have fanned out to various areas in Pathankot and adjoining Gurdaspur district for collecting evidence related to the audacious terror strike on the IAF base of Pathakot during intervening night of January 1 and January 2, official sources said.

The sources said that summons have been issued to Salwinder Singh, who is at present assistant commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police, to appear before the agency for thorough questioning as there were some discrepancies in his statement to NIA and Punjab Police.

The sources did not rule out the possibility of subjecting him to lie detector test.

Singh, along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal, were allegedly kidnapped by terrorists on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 before they entered the IAF base in Pathankot and carried out a terror strike on the following intervening night in which seven security personnel including a Lt Colonel of NSG were killed.

Singh was recently shunted as SP (headquarters) of Gurdaspur following allegation of breach of discipline.

NIA has also picked up some foot prints from a field near Bamiyal village on India-Pak border as well as from the site of encounter at the airbase, the sources said, adding the same have been sent to CFSL Chandigarh for matching as this would help in understanding the route for infiltration used by the terrorists.

NIA director general Sharad Kumar on Friday called on Union home minister Rajnath Singh and gave him a detailed briefing on the investigations carried out so far.

The NIA has also sought the call details of Ikagar Singh, the taxi driver who was killed by the terrorists. It has also sought the location of mobile towers through which the signals for those calls were routed. His past history was being also looked into.

The NIA has registered three cases in connection with the terror strike at Pathankot IAF base.

The first case pertains to Salwinder Singh’s abduction and the second for the killing of the taxi driver. Both the cases were registered at Narot Jaimal Singh Police Station in Pathankot district.

The third and the main case, registered at Police Station Division No. 2 Pathankot, relates to the terrorist attack on the Air Force Station.
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20-member team of NIA led by an inspector general-rank officer has been camping at Pathankot since January 2 to supervise the ongoing investigations.

An officer of the rank of superintendent of police has been appointed as the chief investigating officer of the case.

The NIA registered the case under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Arms Act against unknown persons, official sources said.

The Pathankot IAF facility, located near the border with Pakistan, is the base for MiG-21 fighter planes and MI-25 attack helicopters of the Air Force.